M+R reports that email generated 11% of online revenue among participants and that email revenue rose in 2025, while average click-through and response remained low. The implication is not to send more indiscriminately, but to make each eligible send more relevant and easier to complete.
Segment by relationship and next action
Separate active, new, lapsed, monthly, volunteer and programme audiences where evidence supports a different message. Avoid sensitive inference and tiny segments that expose personal information. Define why each group receives the appeal and what should happen next.
Continue the same promise after the click
Match headline, story, suggested amount and deadline between email and landing page. Preserve source and segment for analysis without exposing it to the donor. Test the destination on mobile, including wallets, errors and confirmation.
Protect deliverability and trust
Authenticate sending domains, remove hard bounces, make preferences and unsubscribe work and suppress recent donors from repetitive appeals. Watch complaint, unsubscribe and inbox placement alongside revenue. A large list that stops receiving messages is not an asset.
Measure the decision, not just the email
Report delivered messages, unique clicks, completed gifts, net revenue, recurring commitments and negative signals by segment. Use a holdout or controlled test when volume permits. Do not attribute every later gift to the final message without evidence.
